


Quirks and their Exceptions

by ShakespeareWasADick



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Miscommunication, Taeyong dragging Markhyuck out of their own shit, but I'm being safe, its like 2 sentences, literally a bettable event in nct, literally so dramatic, long suffering hyung line, mark and hyuck fighting, should honestly just be called, the summary makes it sound way more angst than it actually is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:20:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24069523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShakespeareWasADick/pseuds/ShakespeareWasADick
Summary: “So, why did you do it?”“Do what?”“Push me away?”“I don’t know, just needed to breathe I guess?”
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 193





	Quirks and their Exceptions

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back in this time of uncertainty very much not doing the uni work I need to so that I can graduate.
> 
> This is the product of this. Enjoy lads

The worst thing about knowing someone as long as Donghyuck had known Mark was that you begin to know their habits and quirks. And man did Mark have a lot of quirks. Many of them developed throughout the years since their debut, often used as a defence mechanism, to distract an audience from what Mark perceives to be a flaw. A high pitched, full-bodied laugh when faced with secondhand embarrassment; frantic hand movements for lack of a better display of excitement and vehement rejection of public skinship.

That last one was one of Mark’s most well-known quirks, Donghyuck knows this. Several hours scrolling through social media platforms watching fans coo at Mark’s socially awkward tendencies has told him that. But Donghyuck was confused. It was no secret that Donghyuck was probably the most frequent receiver of this rejection, but that was simply because, historically, Hyuck was the one member who was consistent in his attempts to burst Mark’s personal bubble. Only now, Donghyuck was noticing that the members were starting to test Mark’s boundaries, constant hugs, hair ruffles, pinching of cheeks and pats on the bum. Suddenly, he wasn’t the only member in the entire group who was attaching himself to Mark, however, he was the only one being pushed away.

The first couple of times that it happened, Hyuck didn’t think much of it, it had been late at night and the 127 members had been doing press and interviews all day. He pushed it off as exhaustion, Mark probably not noticing that Jaehyun had ruffled his hair and that Taeil had pinched his cheeks on their way through to their rooms. Taeil had pinched his cheek as well, but this was a normal occurrence and so hadn’t stood out to him. By the time Hyuck had realised what had happened, he was lying in bed and was half asleep, so it was decided that it was going to be an issue for his future self to tackle.

Over the next few days, Hyuck would observe several of his hyungs initiate skinship with Mark, both privately and publicly, and he would observe that Mark was reluctant to push them away, often accepting their hugs or the assaults upon his cheeks. This casual acceptance is the reason that Hyuck was surprised when Mark would continue to push him away. Even in private, out of the gaze of even the casual onlooker, Mark put at least 30cm between them. The worst feeling, however, was when Mark turned up to a Dream practice late one night with dinner for the kids and upon being glomped mercilessly by Jaemin, he didn’t so much as flinch but immediately moved away when Hyuck stood next to him.

That one hurt. Partly because it was a member of Dream and was, therefore, younger than him, but also because it was public and far more obvious. At the end of practice, as they were warming down and stretching, Renjun cornered Hyuck.

“Are you and Mark-hyung fighting again?”

“Not that I’m aware of, why do you ask?”

“You know full well why I’m asking Donghyuck, you’re an idiot but you’re not stupid. Now, the kicked puppy glances that you sent him when Nana flattened him could be overlooked, however, the fact that he would literally move to the other side of the room if you so much as walked in his direction speaks a little bit louder. So I’ll ask again, what is going on?” Hyuck sighed. Not much got past Renjun these days so he really should not have been surprised.

“Look, Jun, I don’t know, I’m not lying about that. You know that Mark has always kinda shied away from my skinship, but lately I’ve noticed him accepting it from the hyungs. I just assumed that it was because they were older and he couldn’t right well push them off that much, but then Nana happened and it kinda clicked in that it’s just… me. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve it, but he keeps pushing me away.” Hyuck thought that once he actually had to say those words out loud that he would feel pain or sadness, but he didn’t. He just felt annoyed, pissed off to be exact. He balled up his fists and turned to face Renjun completely.

“Look, I’ll sort out whatever the hell Mark’s deal with me is. We’re adults, we should be able to do that. Whatever I’ve done to piss him off is obviously not so important because he hasn’t said anything, therefore, it shouldn’t be something that should be drawn out like this. In fact, I’ll go talk to him now about it.” And with that, he turned to the rest of the Dream members and told them he’d see them tomorrow, before picking up his bag and walking out of the room.

After he had left, Jeno walked up to Renjun.

“What was that all about?”

“I hope I’m wrong, but we may have just witnessed the beginning of another Mark and Donghyuck war”. Renjun answered gravely. Jeno looked to the ceiling and sighed.

“I’ll text Taeyong-hyung.” And with that, the rest of the Dream members left the practice room.

***

Taeyong had just gotten off the phone with his mother when he got Jeno’s text.

**Lee Jeno**

_Hyuuung, Mark and Hyuck may be fighting againnn. Hyuck going to try and fix it but just thought I should tell you._

Taeyong, unbeknownst to him, had an almost identical reaction to Jeno upon reading that text. Although he was glad that Jeno had texted him and that Donghyuck was apparently going to fix it, the fact that the two were fighting in the first place concerned the leader more. Jeno’s warning was not the first time that Taeyong was being made aware of the tension between the two younger members - no, Taeyong liked to think he was a better leader than that. 

Subtlety is not something that Mark and Donghyuck are known for when they are not getting along. Taeyong had noticed that Mark was being particularly evasive around the younger boy and it also hadn’t escaped his eye that the older members were getting to be more affectionate to the former. He was possibly going to need back-up for this one, and so with a sigh, slightly more long-suffering than his initial, he left his spot in solitude to find Johnny.

Johnny was found in his and Hyuck’s shared bedroom on a call with Kun who was currently in China doing press with WayV. 

“Hey Johnny, hey Kun, sorry for interrupting but I think we may be facing the beginning of a problem.”

“The beginning of a problem? I didn’t know that this level of foresight was possible for this group. Is it something I can’t hear or would you also like my advice?” 

“Nah, you can stay, I’d appreciate the extra input.” The Chinese man only nodded.

“What’s going on Yong? Is the company making moves about something?” Johnny placed his laptop in between himself and Taeyong so that Kun could see both of them.

“Mark and Hyuck may be fighting again. Jeno just texted me saying that Donghyuck was going to fix it but I have also noticed Mark avoiding him like an infection so I wouldn’t be surprised if this escalates.” Long-suffering sighs and rolled eyes seem to be a trademark of NCT members because both Johnny and Kun reacted in tandem to Taeyong’s explanation.

“I would love 6 months of peace between those two, honest to god. But yeah, I’ve noticed that too. Mark seems to have relaxed his phobia of touch with everyone except Hyuck. I’ve also noticed that Hyuck has been kinda down at the end of the day after we have split from the group but I didn’t want to pry because he is usually pretty open about his issues so I thought he would talk about it eventually.”

“Yeah, I’m not going to lie, when we were in last week I heard Lucas ask Mark if he was fighting with Donghyuck and he just brushed it off as nothing, so I think that Mark is very aware of his actions at this point. Sorry Yong, but I don’t think this will end quietly.”

“Fuck, okay. I’ll talk to them separately tonight when they get home. But I’m not going to be delicate about this one. They are too old to be still acting like children like this. Our fans are so attuned to our actions and there is an entire section of our fandom for the two of them alone. They won’t be able to hide that tension for very long.”

“Yeah, good call. Let me know if you need any help.” Taeyong nodded in gratitude to Johnny. He then bid the couple goodbye and left the room. He quickly began thinking of a way to bring up the issues that the two maknaes were having whilst also mentally checking off who should be home for dinner.

He was halfway out to the kitchen when he heard the front door slam shut and Donghyuck shouting for Mark. Okay so maybe that conversation would be easier to bring up than Taeyong initially thought. Just as he made it to the kitchen, Hyuck was coming towards him. 

Determination was most definitely not the correct look on Hyuck’s face in that moment. A potent cocktail of anger, impatience and a tiny hint of sorrow was painted on the younger boy’s face, something that immediately made Taeyong abandon any thought of waylaying him. 

“Taeyong-hyung is Mark here? I really need to speak to him.”

“Yeah, he should be in his bedroom. Try and keep the screaming to a minimum however, and try not hit him.” The nonchalance in his tone must have surprised Hyuck because the boy solemnly nodded before continuing further into the dorm to find the other boy. Taeyong sighed and stood in the kitchen for all of 30 seconds before following. A small, slightly juvenile part of him wanted to see how this would go down, and it was winning.

By the time he got to Mark’s room Donghyuck was already inside and the door was closed, but the volume was loud enough.

“What the fuck are you playing at you complete asshole?”

“Hey! I’m your hyung-”

“I don’t know, you haven’t exactly acted like one. I don’t exactly want to treat you with respect if all you are going to do is treat me like I have a disease. So let me ask again, what the fuck are you playing at?”

There was silence for a moment and then a small mumble that Taeyong couldn’t hear. He didn’t need to wonder when Hyuck exploded again, this time louder.

“What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’? You have avoided me, pushed me away, let every. Single. One. of our other members touch you and play around with you and then, when I get within spitting distance of you, you fucking disappear! Now at first, I thought ‘oh, I probably just said something that annoyed him, he’ll get over it, it’ll be fine’ and then I couldn’t think of anything I did wrong, so now I’m here, in front of you wondering why the fuck my supposed ‘best friend’ has decided that I’m not worth his time. So no Mark- _ **hyung**_ , you don’t get to play dumb, because you know exactly what you’re doing. Don’t insult me, don’t fucking sit there and pretend that I’m delusional. You are a mean, horrible person, and to be honest, if I wasn’t so hurt and wasn’t so worried about how this would affect our members, I wouldn’t fucking bother.”

The way that Hyuck sarcastically added the honorific to Mark’s name sent chills down Taeyong’s spine. 

“Look, I know that I’ve been avoiding you, but have you considered that it’s for a good reason? Maybe, just maybe, I just woke up one day and decided to get some distance. You’re a suffocating person Donghyuck. You always have been and I can’t stand it. You’re always there.” 

Taeyong heard a heartbreak as that last sentence fell out of Mark’s mouth, but he wasn’t sure whose it was, his or Donghyuck’s. Mark’s words were full of exhaustion and annoyance but also, a small amount of desperation, like he was trying to convince himself of those words as well.

“Well, I’m glad we got that cleared up. Since you obviously can’t stand my presence, I should leave you alone. Don’t worry _**Minhyung-shi**_ , you won’t have to worry, I’ll do my best to stay out of your way, but bear with me, I’m still employed at the same company as you so you may have to see me upon occasion. I hope you have a good night.” With his last monotonous words, Donghyuck leaves Mark’s room, halting as he finds Taeyong’s stricken face just outside the door.

“Hyuck, I, -” Taeyong is cut off by the younger boy pushing past him, back down the hallway. A few seconds later, the front door slams shut, signalling the maknae’s exit from the dorm. 

Taeyong breathes in deeply before walking into Mark’s room, deciding that it would be better to start the healing process now. The second youngest’s head jolts up when he hears Taeyong clear his throat. 

“So you heard that then?”

Despite himself, Taeyong snorted at Mark’s self-deprecating tone.

“Did I just hear you rip your best friend’s heart out and break it completely? Yeah Mark, I think even the WayV members in Shanghai heard that one. Man, I knew you had a way with words, but I never thought I would see you use them to destroy someone like that.” With those words, it was like the gravity of the situation hit Mark full on and the younger boy lost all colour in his face and he burst into tears.

“Oh my god, what the fuck have I done?”

“You really fucked up.”

“Yeah, no, I got that one. I didn’t mean to, honestly. I just didn’t know what to tell him. Like, how do I say to him ‘oh yeah, sorry Hyuck, I’m avoiding you because I haven’t had a night in the last month where I didn’t dream of backing you up against a mirror in the practice room and fucking you till kingdom come’ or ‘haha yeah, funny story, I worked out I was gay last year in the US when I saw you pull your shorts up at the beach in Miami’. Like, please Hyung, how does that end well for me? I’d rather him hate me for this rather than because I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Despite the crassness of his words, Mark’s reasoning for his actions doesn’t surprise Taeyong. It’s a big group but he’s pretty much across all of the secrets of the members, from Taeil’s high school sweetheart and Johnny and Kun’s old married couple shtick down to Jisung and Chenle’s adorable hand-holding. Mark and Donghyuck have been teetering on the precipice of implosion for years. In more humorous moments, the members have talked about a running pool of money for how long it would take them to work out that all they need to do is drag each other into a bed. 

He must have been in his thoughts too long because Mark suddenly sounded more stressed than Taeyong thought possible.

“Hyung? I need you to say something before I throw up.”

“Sorry Mark-ah. I’m not surprised.” At Mark’s eye-widening look he continues, “Don’t give me that look, I know almost everything going on in this group. Including the fact that you’ve been carrying a torch for Donghyuck since you were 14. It’s my job to know so I’m not surprised about your feelings. I am surprised that it took you so long to both realise and then internally combust about it. Granted I wished you had approached this issue in a different way but I’m sure we will be able to fix it.”

“But Hyung what do I do? He called me Minhyung. He has never called me that. Not even when we fought a couple of summers ago. I’m never going to fix this because I don’t know if there is anything to fix.”

“Well first of all, if you heard what Hyuck originally said to you, if you weren’t supposed to be his best friend, he wouldn’t have bothered, so I think you do have a shot at fixing this. But you have to be honest with yourself and him. No more bullshit. You two are too old for anymore of this. Our fans are already starting to work out that there is something wrong, so if you want to fix this without management making it harder, then think fast. Now, I’m going to find Donghyuck and give him his own version of this talk and you are going to go to bed because you need to sleep.” Taeyong then gathered Mark into his arms for a hug that made the younger man deflate almost completely. He then left the room and walked towards the front door of the dorm, pulling out his phone as he walked, and quickly shot a text to Jeno.

**Lee Jeno**

_Jeno-ah, is Hyuckie with you boys? He and Mark had a big fight and I want to talk to him._

***

Upon finding Taeyong outside Mark’s room, listening in on his argument with the other, Donghyuck had never felt more humiliated. Someone else had just witnessed his best friend tell him that his presence annoyed and exhausted him. After quickly making his escape from the 127 dorm, he took the elevator to the Dream dorm, preferring not to have to talk to anymore of his hyungs at this point. 

He opened the front door quietly, cautious of the time and if anyone was asleep. Thankfully, the hesitance was all for nought, as all five of his unit members were sitting in the living room watching some drama. Upon hearing him enter the room, Jaemin looked up and immediately bolted upright from his position slouched against Jisung.

“What happened? Why are you crying?” Hyuck hadn’t even realised that he was crying until that point and once it was pointed out to him, it was like all numbness had left his body and all of the pain he was supposed to be feeling flooded his body and violent sobs racked his body. 

“I should kill Mark Lee, hyung or not. Or at the very least, punch him in the throat.” Despite himself, Hyuck had to laugh at Renjun’s threat. The boy was not someone any of them in the group liked to piss off, even the hyungs were known to be wary of him when he was in a bad mood. 

“Apparently I-I’m suffocating. And exhausting. Apparently he just woke up one day and wanted space. So that’s what he is getting. Thank god I don’t have to, you know, work with him at all.” Hyuck’s tone of voice started out broken and pitiful but morphed into a form of angry sarcasm. The other members winced at his words and then crowded around him, closing him into a group hug.

Jisung was the first to break the huddle, walking into the dorm kitchen and grabbing a couple of bottles of soju out of the fridge. They kept them hidden from the managers most of the time, the older members only condoning the underage members’ drinking on special occasions. ‘Oh well, not exactly a happy, special occasion, but it’s as good enough reason as any’ he thought, before also grabbing some ice cream out of the freezer as well.

By the time he had returned to the living room, the other Dream members had migrated to the couches, Renjun and Jaemin snaking themselves around Donghyuck’s subdued form.

“We don’t have to be up early tomorrow so I thought we could get pissed and eat ice cream hyung.” That earned Jisung a giggle from Donghyuck, if only a little wet. He passed a bottle over to the older, who unscrewed the top and took a large swig. That pretty much set the tone for how the rest of the night was going to go.

They then began tucking into the alcohol and sweets and continued watching the drama, no one mentioning Mark or the fight. There was all round silence until Jeno’s phone buzzed. He quickly read the text.

“Taeyong wants to talk to you. Do you wanna talk to him or do you want me to politely tell him to fuck off?” Donghyuck’s mouth twisted at that.

“Let him over, I know it’s probably not going to be good but he heard everything so he probably won’t sleep tonight if I don’t let him see that I’m not about to throw myself off the top of the building.” The rest of them laughed at that and Jeno nodded before turning back to his phone and typing back a response.

They continued watching the tv for a few more minutes before they heard the door open and a frazzled looking Taeyong walked into the room. If the situation wasn’t so emotionally charged, the deer in headlights look that was presented to the older would have been comical. The younger six, wrapped around each other and several blankets with several bottles of booze and pints of ice cream littered around them, looked up at the older leader like they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t be, which is technically true.

However, Taeyong just sighed and looked towards Donghyuck and if it were possible, his expression would have softened more.

“Can we talk, Hyuckie?” His voice was soft and placating, as if talking to a child. Hyuck nodded and rose from his place underneath his members. They left the living room and walked down the hall to the room that was designated as his when he slept there.

When the two of them took up a position in the room, Hyuck on his bed and Taeyong at his desk, the tension was palpable.

“It’s a stupid question but are you okay?” Hyuck snorted, Taeyong was right, it was a stupid question.

“No I’m not okay, but with a little time and adjustment, I probably will be. I just need to get used to not being around Mark. I’m also really embarrassed that you heard all of it.”

“I know this probably is not what you want to hear, and I know this sucks, but Mark threw himself in front of the bus in this instance. You don’t have to do it now, or even tomorrow, but I think you should talk to him. You may not give a shit, but he pretty much crumbled after you left.” Taeyong was struggling to walk the line of concerned mum-friend and group leader, and Hyuck’s response of a huff and a pointed look away from him was evidence to the fact.

“Look hyung, just because Mark has realised that sometimes his actions have negative consequences doesn't mean that I am going to roll over for him. He fucking hurt me. He doesn’t get to try and make me feel guilty just because he can’t handle not being everyone’s favourite person. I understand that as the group leader you have to try and smooth things over for the company but this is something that won’t be fixed so easily. I don’t know what Mark’s issue with me is all of the sudden, but he told me to back off so I’m going to listen to him. See how he feels, being ignored for a change.” Hyuck’s tone was hard and defiant. Taeyong had to concede that he wasn’t going to get through to him tonight, or even in the next week. Taeyong knew that the younger was set in his decisions once he made them and getting him to budge from them will be hard.

“Okay, I understand. But, you need to realise that the rest of the members may not be as understanding and, we will not cover for you two with the managers. If the fans notice, if the company notices, it’s game over, you two will have to face the consequences.” Hyuck nodded, still determined to stick to his emotions.

“Right, I’m going back to the 127 dorm, are you staying here tonight?” Again, Hyuck nodded and the two of them stood up. Taeyong, suddenly feeling a common urge, gathered the boy up in a hug. There was not much difference in their heights, but somehow in that moment, Hyuck felt like just the small child he was when the two met.

As they left the room, Hyuck sniffled a bit, but other than that, remained quite stoic. Upon re-entering the living room where the rest of the younger members were, he immediately gravitated towards Jaemin, who wrapped him up in a hug and a blanket on the couch. Taeyong eyed the bottles of alcohol on the table in front of the couches and then looked back up at the kids.

“No more booze tonight kids, just ice cream. And, while I know you have the morning off, don’t go to bed too late.” When they all nodded at him, he patted each of their heads and left the dorm.

***

Breakfast in the 127 dorm the next morning was a tense affair, with the older members acutely aware of the current state of the maknae’s relationship. Mark had managed to drag himself out of bed but was sitting at the kitchen table with a hoodie on and earbuds in. The rest of the members barring Hyuck, who was still at the Dream dorm, were trading looks over his head, as if trying to make conversation without directly acknowledging the tension.

Their silent discussion was interrupted by Mark suddenly jumping up from the table. The younger boy stumbled out of the living area and down the hall towards his bedroom. He reappeared a few awkward minutes later, fully dressed with his backpack on his shoulder. As he passed the others, he mumbled “studio” under his breath, loud enough for at least a couple of them to hear him and then he was gone. Doyoung was the one to break the silence that hung over the group in his absence.

“This is going to fucking suck.”

***

It did suck. For everyone.

The observation was made in a group chat that included 19 of the 21 members, by who, Johnny can’t remember, that at least this time, Mark and Donghyuck were carrying out their civil war much more privately than their last one. Many of the older members were religiously checking social media after every single event that the two would attend to take stock of any commentary about their behaviours. But, somewhat mercifully, the two had worked out the perfect niche status of careful ambivalence to each other’s presence. 

However in private, the two of them were ghosts in their own home. Despite being roommates with the youngest, Johnny had had his room to himself for the last month after the fight, Hyuck practically moved into the Dream dorm, only stepping foot in the 127 dorm when he ran out of clothes or when the managers requested the presence of all members for a home meeting.

Similarly, Mark was rarely seen out of an SM studio when the group wasn’t needed for schedules. Only Taeyong could get him to talk, and even then, the younger boy would only talk about a song he had written or a track he was trying to compose. 

“Johnny, have you heard from Mark today? He isn’t answering the phone when I call him.” Taeyong broke him out of his thoughts.

“No, but I can try him if you want?” The younger nodded and Johnny pulled out his phone. 

One ring

Two rings

Four rings

Voicemail

He tried again, but got the same result. He met Taeyong’s expectant gaze and shook his head. The leader’s face transformed briefly into one of pure stress and then was schooled into a state of calm.

“Okay, this ends now. Can you please go and get Donghyuck from the Dream dorm, he should be there.” Then he went to the front door, picking up a random discarded jacket. “When you have him, bring him to the recording studio that we were using last week.”  
And with that, he left, a look of determination only seen when he has to attend a meeting with management. Johnny shuddered for the sake of Mark who will no doubt be met with the full fury of a stressed and worried Taeyong. However, he was somewhat relieved that someone had finally decided that this had to end. He looked back down at his phone and quickly shot a text into the group chat that didn’t include Mark and Donghyuck.

**Civil War Spectators**

_**Johnny:** Taeyong has snapped. Ready the battle stations for the final showdown._

***

Mark hated the taste of energy drinks. He could practically feel his teeth rotting with every sip that he took. But, he also hasn't slept properly in a week and regular coffee just isn't cutting it anymore so he’s doing what he can. He shook his head and clicked his pen, willing himself to concentrate on the words on his page.

That was another thing he hated about energy drinks. He was a naturally jittery person, often switching between languages or activities without thinking about it too much. Add a Red Bull and suddenly Mark Lee was a 3 year old connected to an IV drip of liquefied red jelly beans. 10 minutes of productivity for every three hours of swinging mindlessly on his chair. And he was doing it again. Just swinging.

And then he wasn’t. Because he was on the floor. Because Taeyong’s entrance to the room was loud and unexpected.

“Fuck hyung, what are you doing here?” 

“I’m here making sure that your ass is still alive, because for some reason you are above answering your phone when your hyungs call you. So now you are having your sulking privileges revoked. Johnny, bring him in!” Taeyong’s irate voice gave Mark very little time to comprehend that the two of them were not alone.

Much like a lot of Mark’s life, if this wasn’t such a serious situation, the sight of Johnny in the doorway with Donghyuck slung over his shoulder, struggling and grumbling would have had him in hysterics.

“One disgruntled teenager for delivery sir.”

“I’m not a teenager, I’m 20 years old. And would you put me down please Hyung?”

“Well you certainly don’t act like you’re 20 years old Donghyuck, so I shall refer to you as a child until you decide to act accordingly.” Taeyong stated as Johnny put the younger boy on his feet. Then he rounded back onto Mark

“As for you, I’m taking your energy drinks away, and the two of you are going to grow up together and have an adult conversation. It has been a month and the rest of us have had enough of your shit. If you insist on being recognised as adults, then you get to act like them. Talk to each other. You are not leaving this room until you do. And so help me god, if this ends in violence or doesn’t end at all, I will go straight to the CEO and tell him that you two need a couple months off.” And with that, he grabbed Johnny’s sleeve and the two of them left, the door slamming behind them.

***

“Do you think they’ll buy that thing about the CEO?”

“Oh I was serious. If they can’t work it out, I’ll go to the top and have them sit out the next comeback. I don’t care how bad a leader it makes me look, I’m thinking of the good of the rest of the group. I will not have members not acknowledging each other off camera.”

“You’re a scary man Taeyong, never let anyone tell you otherwise.”

***

There was always palpable tension in silence.

The two of them spent a couple minutes just staring at the other. Taking in the effects of their forced separation. They both looked tired. Worn out. Hyuck still looked beautiful though, Mark thought. Despite the darker circles under his eyes, the unbrushed hair and the baggy clothes that look like Jeno’s, the boy still cut a figure that had the ability to haunt his dreams.

“This is so stupid. I don’t even know what they expect us to fix. I’m just doing what you want.” Hyuck’s voice was frustrated but Mark’s head was spinning, that last energy drink still coursing through his bloodstream and all he grasped was the last part of that statement.

“Wait, what? What are you talking about? What do I want?”

“Okay, I know you’re an idiot but you can’t be that dense. Do you not remember that whole conversation we had where you said that I’m suffocating? Jesus Christ Mark. You said that you couldn’t stand me always being there. So I made sure I wasn’t always there.”

“Oh for fucks sake. That wasn’t what I meant. I was tired and stressed and you barge in ranting and raving to me and I just wanted you to fucking shut up and stop putting words in my mouth. I just got mad because I had spent the last month and a half wondering what it would be like having you underneath me and suddenly you are spewing all of that fucking shit at me because I was trying my hardest to get through a gay crisis in the fucking spotlight. And then you fucking piss off and that didn’t help either because all I wanted was you next to me, so I fucking come here, day in and day out, feeling like a teenage girl, writing song after song about you. Because I’m fucking in love with you and probably have been since I was 14.” He’s out of breath by now and for a couple agonising moments the two of them go back to staring at each other.

“You’re in love with me?” Hyuck’s voice was almost unrecognisable, so small and unsure.

“Yeah” Mark’s voice was equally small, but contained an air of breathlessness

“So, why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Push me away?”

“I don’t know, just needed to breathe I guess?”

“Oh.” Shit, wrong answer. Hyuck’s mouth turned down and Mark put up his hands in a defensive position

“It’s more that I didn’t know what to do you know? I had just worked out that I was in love with my best friend and I was not sure how to deal with it. I’m really sorry. So sorry. I was so preoccupied with working this out that I forgot that I wasn’t the only one in this equation. I-” After the last couple of years, not much can catch Mark off guard, but Hyuck’s lips did.

They were soft and eager and honestly just perfect. Which made Mark feel like a bit of a dick. He could have done this weeks ago and they could have skipped so much angst. That thought alone made him separate the two of them.

“Okay, what the fuck?” His voice came out higher than it has been in years.

“You were rambling. I wanted to shut you up. I also wanted to kiss you. So I did. Two for one deal.”

“Okay but why?” Again with the high voice. Hyuck rolled his eyes as if this line of questioning was totally unnecessary. 

“Because, you idiot, I’ve been mooning over you for years. You actually broke my heart when you told me that you were being suffocated by me. I’ve been wanting the opportunity to kiss you and not have you push me away for years. So now, while you aren’t pushing me away, I’m going to kiss you. Is that alright?” Mark nodded so enthusiastically his vision started swimming. Rather than correcting it, he just grabbed Hyuck’s face and brought it back to his.

***

All of the NCT members, barring Hyuck and Mark, were sitting in the 127 living room, watching a movie (Korean, with Chinese subtitles), when the door burst open and dual giggling could be heard. Doyoung checked the time on his phone and snorted.

“You were right Johnny, it only took 2 hours.” And suddenly there were groans as various members started handing money over to the taller man, who looked more smug with every note that he was given.

“Guys? Is anyone home?” Mark’s voice rang out through the dorm.

“We’re in here boys.” Taeyong called back and within seconds, the two were in the doorway. 

And so began a level of chaotic hooting and hollering at the sight of the two. Both of them looked like a sight that, despite travelling from the company building to the dorms, could only be described as post-coital. 

“You guys didn’t fuck in the recording studio right?” Kun made sure to not miss when we swatted at Johnny for that comment. However, the look on the faces of the younger two almost immediately answered the latter’s question.

That set the younger members of the group off again with Yukhei and YangYang even getting up and offering the two high fives. 

"We didn't fuck in the studio!" Hyuck exclaimed desperately, whereas Mark just accepted Yukhei and YanYang's high fives with a slightly smug smirk. It quickly turned sheepish when he caught the eye of Taeyong, who looked more exasperated than annoyed.

“We didn’t really fuck in the studio. And I’m really sorry for everything we put you guys through. Taeyong hyung especially.” Mark lowered his gaze down to his feet and Hyuck mimicked his actions, the two of them apologetically standing in front of the rest of their members. 

“Look, it fucked with us for a majority of the time you guys were fighting, but I must confess, there were points where it was almost funny to watch you guys get good at acting. That being said. Never. Again. You two are never allowed to fight like that ever again.” Doyoung’s words garnered enthusiatic nods from the rest of the group. 

“Yeah don’t worry about that. I don’t think we are going to be fighting like that anymore.” Donghyuck’s tone matched the determined facial expression on his face. The same expression that melted away when he met Mark’s eyes. The two of them then proceeded to get lost in each other for a few moments, leading some of the closer members, mainly younger to throw snacks and cushions at them. 

“Right, now come over here, full group bonding movie night. We haven’t been able to have one in months and no amount of teenage horniness is going to stop you two from participating in this. So you both get to sit down on separate couches and be subjected to whatever we want to throw at you as punishment.” Taeyong’s leader voice rang through the chaos and despite the two’s small protests, they were seperated and brought into the folds of different groups at different ends of the room.

***

By the time the group broke up for the night, Mark and Hyuck had drifted together and were left fast asleep on a beanbag on the floor. As Taeil and Kun were ushering the Chinese and Dream members out the door, Jaehyun turned to Johnny and Taeyong as they were cleaning up some bowls and stray sweets.

“How long do you reckon before we have to tell them to tone it down on camera?” Johnny snorted and bent down to pick up a stray beer bottle.

“I give them 2 weeks before management asks them about it. And I give them a month before they argue about it.” To which the other two groaned.

“Taeil can take over as leader when that happens, I’ll just leave for a tropical island the second it starts.”

“I think the rest of NCT will just mysteriously disappear for a bit when that happens.” Jaehyun and Taeyong nodded in agreement at Johnny’s observation.

“Shut up the three of you before I make you disappear forever.” The three jumped and then started chuckling at the half-slurred threat that came from the 127 maknae as he cuddled further into his boyfriend’s arms.

Yeah they’ll fight. It’ll probably be messy. But that was just one of the quirks that made Mark and Donghyuck who they were together.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Let me know if I forgot to finish some sentences (or I accidentally copied and pasted portions of an assignment in here, it's altogether possible) or if you enjoyed it!


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